Standard solid-bodied pillows in common use for many years have a number of limitations. The downward force caused by the weight of a person's head on tissue and facial skin in contact with solid bodied pillows is considerable, causing local stretching and deformation of the skin. Over a period of many years this deformation accelerates wrinkling of the skin, contributing to the visible effects of ageing.
Similarly, the outer surfaces of the ears are crushed by the weight of the head when a person using a pillow lies to the side, contributing to the incidence of bacterial and fungal ear infections, morning wax deafness, ear ache and gradual deformation and wrinkling of the pinna.
Still further, a major problem for people who are wish to hear while lying with one ear on a pillow, such as when they are watching television, occurs because the otherwise properly functioning ear is in contact with the pillow. Due to the seal the ear makes with the pillow or pillowcase, air is not able to carry sound waves to that ear. In this position, the person has difficulty hearing because one ear is not exposed to sound waves.
There are numerous circumstances where lack of hearing while lying down can inconvenience the person or cause serious and dangerous problems. Oftentimes, for example, only one side of the head is placed on a pillow while watching television or listening to music from a bed or a couch. This situation requires the hard of hearing individual to sacrifice either comfort, or the ability to hear the television program or musical piece.
Therefore, there is need for a pillow that can support a user's head while the user has his or her ear on the pillow in a manner which allows sound to easily reach the ear on the pillow-contacting side of the user's head.
While the inventor is aware of pillows that are designed to support a user's head while that user wears curlers or that will accommodate a user's face while the user lies face-down on the pillow, the inventor is not aware of any pillow that will acoustically connect a user's ear to the area surrounding the pillow via a large opening in the pillow whereby sounds can easily reach the pillow-adjacent ear of the user.